ATL tower implosion saturday

[SiuDude]

The old ATL tower is to be imploded on 8/5 at 9:00am. The tower will drop to the Southeast into a big hole next to the foundation of the new International Terminal.

Mark your calendars! I believe the 100 Hartsfield Centre building is next on their list.

 

[Airboss]

video

http://wxiatv.com/video/player.aspx?aid=56042&bw=

Timber! Airport Tower Topples





The old air traffic control tower at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport is history.

It was demolished in dramatic fashion on Saturday morning after Ben DeCosta, the airport general manager, pushed a ceremonial plunger.

"It was more than I thought it would be," DeCosta said. "I didn't know what to expect. It was super."

The old FAA tower stood in the shadow of a new one, which was commissioned for use in May before the opening of the new fifth runway.

The new tower stands 398 feet tall, making it the tallest in North America.

The old one was 231 feet tall. It was built in the 1970s.

Saturday's demolition required months of expert planning.

"It's going to fall diagonal this way," said Henrietta Kissieh, owner of the company in charge of the demolition, Kissberg Construction. "We are very careful. The physics and the math have been done."

Lisa Page, who works for the Atlanta Department of Aviation, arrived early to find a seat in a special area reserved for employees and guests near the demolition site.

"This is exciting, especially because it's a live airport with a live tower next to it," she said. "The precision of everything is really great."

Just after 9:00 a.m. Saturday, Page and other employees began the countdown.

The implosion lasted 10 seconds

"Oh, my gosh," Page exclaimed as she watched the tower topple. "I'll have this smile on my face all day because that was cool."

The old tower had to come down to make room for the new Maynard H. Jackson International Terminal, which will take years and about $1 billion to build.

Construction has been delayed because of litigation over the initial design.

A new design is expected soon, and the terminal is scheduled to open in 2010.




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[MEL'ed]

Just wandering,
Was it planned for the top to fall first like it did or was it expected to stay connected till the whole thing hit the ground?

 

[shamrock]

The old tower had to come down to make room for the new Maynard H. Jackson International Terminal,

Which will be divided into the Cynthia McKinney Wing and the Bill Campbell Wing by the Louis Farrakhan Food Court.

 

[atrdriver]

Who was it that was saying that ASA ops was moving into the old tower? I think it's ready for occupancy.

 

[PA31Driver]

Which will be divided into the Cynthia McKinney Wing and the Bill Campbell Wing by the Louis Farrakhan Food Court.

Now that's freaking hillarious! :laugh:

 

[ArcticFlier]

Now that's freaking hillarious! :laugh:

Ditto.........................


AF

 

[JettBoii]

I'd still like to know how we have pdity and zmann (sp) as fixes.

 

[shamrock]

I'd still like to know how we have pdity and zmann (sp) as fixes.

Maybe Reverend Jesse and Reverend Al suggested it to Shirley Franklin and she made some calls.

It's really the least they could do since there won't be any room on the sign for them when the airport is renamed "The Atlanta Jackson-Malcolm X International Airport Presented by So-So-Def Records".

 

[goahead]

Man that would of sucked if they would of hit the GO instead of the ole tower........

 

[SiuDude]

Man that would of sucked if they would of hit the GO instead of the ole tower........

Would've?

 

[Stifler's Mom]

Safe to assume that there were controllers in the new tower while this was going on? No thanks, especially if the old tower had dropped in the wrong direction and hit the new tower.

 

[328dude]

Safe to assume that there were controllers in the new tower while this was going on? No thanks, especially if the old tower had dropped in the wrong direction and hit the new tower.

There were. Landed today at 8:50am and was fortunate to see the thing come down waiting for the ASA ramp to clear up and park at D25. Wasen't expecting the bang to be that loud though. Pretty cool to see.

 

[j41driver]

Wasn't expecting the bang to be that loud though.

I was about 5 miles away and heard it plain as day inside the crashpad. We had no idea what it was at the time though.

 

[John Pennekamp]

Maybe Reverend Jesse and Reverend Al suggested it to Shirley Franklin and she made some calls.

It's really the least they could do since there won't be any room on the sign for them when the airport is renamed "The Atlanta Jackson-Malcolm X International Airport Presented by So-So-Def Records".

Delta's new arrival announcement:

"We's don welcome yous to da Hartsfield-Jackson-Martin Luther King-Correta Scott King-Al Sharpton-Malcom X-Harriet Tubman-Jesse Jackson-Abraham Lincoln-Rosa Parks-Frederick Douglas-Ray Charles-Bobby Brown-Whitney Houston-Jermaine DuPree-Shirley Franklin International Airport".

 

[shamrock]

Delta's new arrival announcement:

"We's don welcome yous to da Hartsfield-Jackson-Martin Luther King-Correta Scott King-Al Sharpton-Malcom X-Harriet Tubman-Jesse Jackson-Abraham Lincoln-Rosa Parks-Frederick Douglas-Ray Charles-Bobby Brown-Whitney Houston-Jermaine DuPree-Shirley Franklin International Airport".

Are you F'real? Yous all shoulda know by now that th'ain't no room fo' no honky white boy on the sign! Copy dat?

 

[ATLplt]

Which will be divided into the Cynthia McKinney Wing and the Bill Campbell Wing by the Louis Farrakhan Food Court.

That has to be the funniest thing I've read on this site! LOL

 

[John Pennekamp]

Are you F'real? Yous all shoulda know by now that th'ain't no room fo' no honky white boy on the sign! Copy dat?

Ma' man Abe Lincoln don' made da' list cuz he be da' homie who don' freed da slaves and sheet, yo?

 

[Bizjet]

Are you F'real? Yous all shoulda know by now that th'ain't no room fo' no honky white boy on the sign! Copy dat?

That is not fair. The airport was named: Atlanta, Hartsfield (former honky mayor), Jackson (Stonewall Jackson a honky Rebel Army Military General), International (most International Cities served are in Alabama) Airport. Just to set the record straight.